Japanese cuisine became popular in my country not so long time ago. Within several years it was possible to observe how the menu of every second restaurant is replenished with Japanese sushi, sashimi and rolls. They are being served not only at the Japanese-cuisine-type restaurants but also at any restaurant, pub, or café, which would like to attract more customers.

“Through the West to the East“

It is remarkable that such interest to Asian delicacies came to us not straight from Japan, but “through the West to the east“. Indeed! Firstly, Japanese exotic food was tasted in Europe and USA, and only then was found on the Eastern Europe countries’ plates. According to the Japanese phonetics one should pronounce “susi”, but having undergone a certain adaptation in the West, this name came to us as “sushi”.

This tasty food was founded more 1300 years ago. Its name “sushi” (in Japanese 寿司 ), oddly enough, has no translation yet. Or, more precisely, there is such set of interpretation of two hieroglyphs that it can be successfully treated as both a «marinated fish» and a happiness wish. As often happens, any dish origin history is related to its way of storage.

Narezushi or Salted Fish

Sushi originates in a Southeast Asian dish, known today as narezushi (馴れ寿司, 熟寿司 – “salted fish”), stored in fermented rice for possibly months at a time. The lacto-fermentation of the rice prevented the fish from spoiling; the rice would be thrown away (how wasteful!) before eating fish. This early type of sushi became an important source of protein for its Japanese consumers.

Samurai, nigirisushi, sticks

The sushi master Dzhokhey (only representatives of Samurais had the right to use the surname) was the first one who cooked a rice ball, then added wasabi (the Japanese horse-radish was known as the best antiseptic) and covered it with a piece of fish. The dish was named as nigirisushi. Nigiri in Japanese means “handful” denoting the amount of rice that can be eaten at once.

People love eating sushi with sticks. Sticks are difficult in use for many, but not for those ones who learned how to deal with them. I shall say that Japanese cuisine offers food served mainly in the form of small separate pieces (sushi, sashimi) which are enough to be picked and put in a mouth.

Sushi are very low-calorie food. It would seem that sushi cannot do harm to health? At a first glance, everything looks pretty innocent – a small portion of rice, sea fish and vegetable ingredients. Let us take a closer look.

Sushi can be useful to our body as it contains:

sea fish includes fat-soluble vitamin D, a nutrient that most people are deficient in. It functions like a steroid hormone in the body. Researchers believe that the fatty types of fish are even more beneficial for heart health, because of their high amount of omega-3 fatty acids;

rice acts as fuel for the body and aids in the normal functioning of the brain. Rice is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals like niacin, vitamin D, calcium, fiber, iron, thiamine, and riboflavin. These vitamins provide the foundation for the body’s metabolism, immune system health, and etcetera;

recent studies suggest that soy sauce may be able to provide some digestive tract benefits;

wasabi contains antimicrobial agents which are useful for eliminating bacteria. Due to its ability to block platelet aggregation, wasabi helps to reduce chances of heart attack and stroke;

ginger is the strong antioxidant and also an immune-stimulator;

However, one should always keep in mind that not all sushi ingredients are beneficial to our body. For example, nearly all fish have traces of methylmercury, a form of mercury that has neurotoxic effects, especially in developing brains. Salt-sensitive people should be careful with soy sauce since it is widely regarded as salty food, a tablespoon of soy sauce contains 1,000 milligrams of sodium. Also be aware of the fact that all seafood ingredients of sushi MUST be fresh.

To Eat or Not to Eat?

If you are not allergic to any of sushi ingredients and have no serious diseases, then go ahead and taste it. This food might “conquer” or not your taste receptors, but you will not remain indifferent. Nobody can tell for sure why Japanese people live longer than many Europeans, some say that the secret lies in their daily food habits.

How are you doing? I am happy to see you looking through my new post. I’ve been busy the last days focusing on my new venture relating shutterstock and my book. I know that many of you deal with photography, so the information I am going to share might be of particular interest to you. How about earning extra money and make one of your craziest dreams come true? I am actually dreaming about this yacht – beautiful lady in white outfit, I will look great standing on its deck. Thus, shutterstock referral program can help us both. In case you also would like to start selling your wonderful pictures at shutterstock you can sign up with my personal link and present us both a chance to share our images for extra financial pleasure: https://submit.shutterstock.com/?ref=181531242. You can also earn extra money by referring new Shutterstock submitters. For the first year after a contributor you referred is approved, earn 10% of the sale price actually received by Shutterstock each time one of their clips is downloaded. Isn’t it look fascinating? Think about it and visit my page at shuterstock at https://www.shutterstock.com/g/anrostudio?language=en

Enjoy Sunday and have a good walk! Weekend is always better somewhere between the trees!

“Borsch definitely has a long history in Ukraine and there is no point in trying to clarify that there was someone else who discovered it. If you could taste borsch cooked in the eighteenth century you would hardly recognize it. Back then, the main ingredients were sour beetroots, but without any tomatoes, which gave it its distinctive sour flavour. Nowadays this flavour is achieved with the help of sour tomatoes. Also, initially borsch did not contain any potatoes but now you will not find it without them…”

Today Ann, the Author of the book entitled Ukraine, I Wrote About is going to teach you how to cook borsch! At her own kitchen, with her own camera and creative tips, you are going to taste the most delicious red soup ever! Stay in tune and order your Ukraine, I Wrote About at https://www.amazon.com/Ann-Romanenko/e/B07H2DKP69?ref_=pe_1724030_132998060

“And now let us have a look at a modern Ukrainian. Ukrainians are mostly down-to-earth people and not given to artificiality. Rarely – if ever – will you see us wearing a fake smile; only our natural feelings are stamped on our faces. Instead, our passions burn low but strong and steady. True, we have a tendency to be moody. One minute we may be sad and introspective, and then the next thing you know we’re full of unbridled optimism and infectious vitality. Our sense of humour is bitingly ironical.” (Ukraine, I Wrote About)

I invite you to Miskolc, Avasi TV torony, to Hungary!
Avasi kilátó kávézó is a café situated at the TV tower in the center of Miskolc. It is the favourite hangout place for people who would enjoy a romantic atmosphere and beautiful night views.

I wandered in with my friend on a Friday night, and was immediately greeted by the incredible aroma of coffee and desserts.
Sitting in any table you have a wonderful view of Miskolc, the third largest city in Hungary.
The prices for desserts are a bit high there, but your tongue will definitely thank you!

If you would like to meet autumn, then you should quickly get out of your office or house or flat and head straight to some nearby park or forest. Mr Autumn is here and in his playful mood, which means that trees have already taken their colorful golden outfits.

Summer is finally on its holiday and we can happily inhale fresh autumn air. Frankly I am in love with Fall season and would like to enjoy its every detail.

This is the golden season for most beautiful scenes and colors! Grab your camera!

Currently, it is very popular to claim that many Ukrainian dishes are popular abroad and have their equivalents in many cultures. We should not spend too much time in proving who was first to put meat into the dough and boil it to make varenyky – which are stuffed dumplings. It is much more important to add something new to every dish to make it unique. For example, Ukrainians prefer adding potatoes or various fruits to varenyky. Where else you can find such stuffing?

Borsch definitely has a long history in Ukraine and there is no point in trying to clarify that there was someone else who discovered it. If you could taste borsch cooked in the eighteenth century you would hardly recognize it. Back then, the main ingredients were sour beetroots, but without any tomatoes, which gave it its distinctive sour flavour. Nowadays this flavour is achieved with the help of sour tomatoes. Also, initially borsch did not contain any potatoes but now you will not find it without them.

It happened that after the dissolution of the USSR many Ukrainians’ achievements, including culinary ones, were inherited, or perhaps I should say stolen, by Russia.

In the southern part of Ukraine you would not find any women in a kitchen. For instance, only male Crimean Tatars cooked rice and fried meat on a fire and no women were allowed to enter the “sacred” place.

As for table traditions, it was the Ukrainian custom for the whole family to sit at the table. The father was usually the first to help himself to the food, and often everyone ate from one plate, as there was a distinct lack of flatware in many peasant families. Having dinner or lunches together as a family was traditional not only in the countryside but in the city as well. Soviet authorities did their best to ruin such rituals by introducing the cafeteria system at factories that encourage workers to dine together. Eating was seen as being important only to satisfy the physiological need of humans for protein and carbohydrates. Tasting the food’s flavour and enjoying it was unimportant. The employees should simply eat well to work well.

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I can boast about my latest reviews:

R Henry
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ukraine, I Wrote About worth a read.
September 30, 2018
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Very enjoyable read. A concise view of Ukraine by a Ukrainian. A brief history of the country, the people, cuisine, fashion, customs, and culture, presented deftly by the author. So much unique information such as the last toast at the table is known as “na konya”, meaning “for the horse” along with the history of the phrase. The author’s love for her country comes shining through and the reader will come away with a greater appreciation and knowledge of Ukraine. I highly recommend.

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars
About Ukraine from first hands
September 11, 2018
Format: Paperback
The book is very interesting and entertaining book. It is not a novel and not a travel guide! It is more. If you are curious about the country, Ukraine, or ukrainian people, habits, places and food (I am culinary dependent), then you should read. You will not regret to read. The Ukrainian author provides information about her country from her special point of view with full of patrionism. Reading the book you will find interesting information and facts about the whole country. If you could not travel there, through the book still you will receive a nice and complete picture about Ukraine!
Congratulations for the author!

I am happy to announce that my book is available in Apple Books on Your Mac or IOS device, please click here: https://itunes.apple.com/book/id1436577838

Let’s peep into Chapter 2 entitled FIRST IMPRESSIONS ARE THE MOST LASTING:

Franz Kafka said, “First impressions are always unreliable”. Thus, I would urge you to visit – or re-visit – Ukraine with a view to changing any negative impression you may have formed. Let me invite you to my mysterious country. Let me guide you – I know you are intrigued. Every word you read here should make you hungry for more. That is my intention, and I will provide you with everything your capricious soul desires. We will have an unforgettable journey around my country: